


under the mistletoe

by lightyaers



Series: the twelve days of chessmas [4]
Category: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Genre: Cheesy, Christmas, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, I apologise for the elf related puns, One Shot, Romantic Comedy, Sexual Tension, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27882301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightyaers/pseuds/lightyaers
Summary: Beth and Benny inexplicably find themselves underneath the mistletoe.
Relationships: Beth Harmon/Benny Watts
Series: the twelve days of chessmas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032102
Comments: 16
Kudos: 190





	under the mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the 12 Days of Chessmas!
> 
> This is part 4, and my god, this is the cheesiest, flirtiest thing I've ever written. And I had a damn ball. I apologise in advance for all the elf related puns (not really, I'm not sorry). 
> 
> Please comment below headcanons you want me to write!
> 
> Enjoy x

When Beth agreed to a holiday weekend with Benny, she didn’t agree to _this—_

Dressed up like an _elf_ at a party full of other elves. Wherever she looked she saw jingle bells, stars, ghastly fake snowflakes, and of course—Benny fucking Watts in a matching outfit as her. They were both dressed in a vivid green, the same green of the pill Beth wished she was allowed to swallow, just this once. Their hats were green as well, with a fluffy white border and a bell at the top, just as an extra annoyance whenever Beth moved around.

Beth wasn’t a Christmas person. She despised the holiday season, the festive cheer, the _snow—_ God, the snow. It was horrible and dirty, melting into muddied sleet after a few days of beauty, before it left the ground eternally wet, until the sun shone on it again.

New York City was covered in the stuff, overexposing the greys and browns of the city, and not mixing well with the yellows of the taxi cabs and street signs. She’d only agreed to this weekend because of him—because of Benny.

He was effortless when being social, like he always knew the right thing to say, no matter if he knew a person well or not at all. He carried a room the way he played chess—with a ferocity in his moves and joy in his wins, as well as his failures. If everyone in the room was a Queen, Benny would be perfectly fine being the only King, talking his way out of a resignation.

Beth wasn’t used to parties or crowds. Her face often revealed her as blunt and unapproachable, despite being well known. She could count on one hand the actual friends she had, who knew her inside and out—both sober and utterly lost. Benny was just as much of a private person as her, but the one thing he had was the ability to banter, to hold a conversation—even while dressed as a fucking Christmas elf.

While he made his way around the room, soaking up the laughter, the light and the awful mixture of Christmas and punk music, Beth stayed in the corner of the host’s apartment, fiddling with the straw in her third glass of pink lemonade.

She would have killed for a glass of wine, or a sip of beer, or that dull feeling that a pill gave her. Her cravings had been less so after Russia, but she couldn’t deny she still had them. Being around Benny made it easier—being around Benny distracted her thoughts enough to ignore the need for that buzz. Despite the competitiveness they always shared, Beth secretly felt that he brought the best out in her.

Benny fucking Watts.

“Stop being a wallflower,” Benny said, strolling over to her lonesome corner. “Maybe, if you spoke to somebody, you’d forget about the ridiculous outfits we’re all wearing,”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Beth said bluntly, tapping the bell on her hat with her nail. It let out a small _ding_ in mocking. Benny huffed, looking her up and down with an amused smirk.

“You make a good elf, Harmon.” He said, chuckles escaping with his words.

“I’ll stab you with this straw if you’re not careful,” Beth sent him a fake smile. Benny’s smirk only grew.

“ _Bad_ elf,” Benny said sarcastically, but it was enough for Beth to roll her eyes as the champion burst into laughter at his own joke. Benny did that—giggled at his own words. It was something Beth usually found annoying, but he had the ability to make it endearing. “I could introduce you to some people, if you like?” Benny started, but Beth only frowned.

She didn’t want to be a party pooper, but she couldn’t kick her uncomfortable feeling at being there. She hadn’t so much as greeted three people, before she’d tucked herself in the corner.

Inside her, a whining child was getting ready to scream. Beth tried to keep it at bay, but if there’s one thing sobriety brought her, it was the impossibility of stopping herself from complaining. If she were drunk, or high, she would have been able to handle this, but being sober only got her so far—

And this was the limit. Surrounded by a room full of people she didn’t know, drinking flat pink lemonade and wearing a fucking ridiculous outfit.

She wanted _out_.

This wasn’t the reason she came to New York— _Benny_ was the reason. And she’d hardly seen him the entire time they’d been at the party.

“Why are we even here?” Beth whispered, flickering her eyes over the apartment. “I thought that this weekend was just going to be—,” She stopped, shooting her eyes back at his. Her heart began to beat faster beneath her ribs; a sign that she was about to reveal something personal.

“Us?” Benny finished her sentence. The way his eyes traced her face was enough to make her heartrate increase, ever so slightly. Benny let out a breath. “Truthfully, I thought you’d get _bored_ with just me for company,”

Beth huffed. “I survived five weeks last year, didn’t I?”

Benny nodded smally. “Yes, you did.”

They were silent for a few moments, as Benny regarded Beth. She wanted to leave so badly, partly to strip off the god-awful outfit she had been made to wear, and simply because she felt _embarrassed._ She wasn’t good at this, being social, the way she was good at chess. With the game, she knew exactly where to move, exactly when to strike. With people, she often missed a cue for a handshake, or somehow managed to always come across blunt without meaning to.

She wished everyone there was a chess piece. At least then, she’d have something in common with them.

“Let’s bounce,” Benny said, breaking the silence.

“It’s okay— you can stay if you want to. I can find my way back to your place.” Beth let out, as guilt washed over her slightly. She felt bad forcing him to leave if he didn’t want to.

Benny gently grabbed her wrist. He looked at her almost patronisingly, but there was a softness to his gaze. It was like he was trying to telepathically tell her that he didn’t mind; that he was up for whatever she suggested. “I’d rather be with you over a room full of elves any day,”

Beth was the first to laugh. He’d said it so intensely, for such a funny statement. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” She chuckled out. Benny left to shake the hand of the host, as Beth placed down her lemonade and picked up her belongings.

They both strolled to the door, Benny giving a final wave to the room as the two of them dipped out. Benny shut the door behind him as both of them stood in the doorframe, the drowned-out Christmas music blasting from inside the apartment.

“Better?” He said, the way someone would speak to a child. Beth pursed her lips, but there was amusement behind her eyes.

“Thank you,” She replied, as they continued to stand in the doorway. They often did this—just _looked_ at each other, as they both tried to pinpoint what the other was thinking. Beth could imagine a chessboard on the ceiling in a heartbeat, but what she truly wanted to see was inside of his mind—his memories, his emotions, his thoughts.

She wanted it all for herself.

Benny’s eyes slowly looked upwards, as Beth shot him a frown. When she followed his gaze, her heart catapulted into her throat—

Above them hung a bundle of mistletoe, tied to the door by a shiny red ribbon.

When Beth looked at Benny, his demeaner had already changed. His eyes looked deeper, glassier, closer, as if he was trying to divulge her every thought with one look at her face. Beth usually had a good poker face, but she could already feel a subtle flush appearing on her cheeks.

It was _too_ cliché; stealing a kiss under the mistletoe around Christmas time; but for once, Beth didn’t care if it came across tacky, as the insatiable urge to place her lips against Benny’s bombarded her gut.

Benny reached for her, gently curling his fingers around her wrist once more. It felt different this time, now that they were alone. It felt like electricity was coiling its way up Beth’s arm, making her hairs stand on end, but in a pleasant way. Benny licked his lips, leaning down towards her, encasing her in his shadow.

His eyes softened, his lips parted ever so slightly—

“Merry Christmas, Beth.” Benny whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

“Merry Christmas, Benny.” Beth replied faintly, but she wasn’t looking at his eyes anymore; her gaze was plastered on his mouth.

As Beth fell into his embrace, Benny flushed his lips against hers—softly, gently, like he didn’t want to rush something so sweet. It was the most gentle she’d ever known Benny to be, as he moved slowly, inch by inch, until his hands cupped her face firmly.

His palms were warming, as his thumbs circled her cheeks pleasantly. Beth was the first to deepen this kiss, to make a more aggressive move. If Benny was surprised at her ferocity, he didn’t show it. He transitioned from the gentle nature he’d had before into something much less so—something much more dominating.

Beth wasn’t complaining, though.

She could have stayed there for hours, figuring out the way he moved his body, the way his hips fell and how his fingers fluttered across her jaw, but they were cut off—

By the ding of a bell from the tip of Beth’s hat, hitting their noses and making both of them jump out of their skin. They pulled apart, both staring at the bell as it dangled in front of Beth’s nose.

“I’ve never been cockblocked by a hat before,” Benny let out, chuckling as he grabbed the bell and moved it around to the back of her head once more. “I thought myself and _hats_ had an alliance.”

“You broke that alliance when you dared to wear a Santa hat, instead of your _cowboy_ hat,” Beth joked. Benny’s face dropped as he abruptly tugged the hat from his head and let it fall to the floor.

“My cowboy hat will never be replaced, Harmon. It’s a sin to even suggest so,” He pointed a finger at her face, adopting melodramatically furrowed eyebrows.

A wave of playfulness rose up through Beth, as she leaned sexily on the door frame.

“Well, I am a _bad elf.”_

Benny’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat immediately. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand, tugging her down the stairs of the apartment building. Beth chuckled as he did so, racing down the steps like the building was about to explode.

“ _Nope_ —not fair,” Benny muttered. Beth smiled to herself.

“You didn’t like my bad elf joke?”

“ _Absolutely not,_ and now your costume just _has_ to be ripped off, or we’re both in danger of going to comedic Hell.” Benny jumped the final few stairs, causing Beth to almost drop to the floor. He caught her swiftly, holding her close to his body. “Since when were you good at flirting?” He whispered.

Beth shot him a smirk. “Who says I was flirting?”

Benny raised his eyebrows. “All the elves _thousands_ of miles away at the North fucking Pole would be able to notice you were flirting, Harmon.”

“Well,” Beth began, raising a hand to his hair. “I guess we better go into hiding before I’m put on the naughty list,” She said it so smoothly that Benny found himself _groaning_ in frustration.

“I _hate_ you,” He said.

“No, you _don’t_ ,” Beth replied, making her way outside, ready to walk back to Benny’s. Benny stood inside, watching her silhouette as she grabbed a cigarette from her bag and placed in betwixt her lips. She lit it, and smoke coiled around her elegantly, despite the neon green and white trim she was sporting.

Beth Harmon was _something else._

“No, I don’t.” He muttered to himself, before he strode towards her, slamming the door of the building shut behind him and imagining how good that neon green would look on the floor of his basement.


End file.
